She, a CEO of the ecological paddy

There is a saying that “Women hold up half the sky”. It must be talking about woman like Lian, who is the mother of three children, “CEO” of her family, and only one of the few eco-farming practitioners in the village.

Lian’s village is in Duchang County, Jiangxi Province. Villagers there earn their living by farming rice. As the rising of health consciousness, farmers, especially farming women, gradually realized that the whole environment has been destroyed due to the overuse of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, which will ultimately harm children's health. Lian, as a mother, is also concerned with the threats.

In 2015, under the support of World Vision, local government, and agricultural experts, Lian and some other villagers began to learn knowledge on ecological farming. They also went on study trip to Guangxi and Beijing to learn the farming experience in hope of growing healthy food and rebuild a beautiful countryside in their own hometown.

Even though there were quite a few villagers joined the eco-farming study, for some reasons, Lian became the only one who put it into practice. “My family supports me. Children also come for help when they are on holiday”, said Lian delightedly. 

In 2016, She insisted in her ecological planting way and extended the planting area from 1.3 acres to 3.4 acres.  Her hard work got paid off. Lian had a good harvest of 210kg red rice, 300kg black rice and 360kg Qingyou rice. Except for some giving away to other villagers for tasting, the rest had all been sold out.

Although Lian is an experienced farmer, eco-planting is a fairly new challenge for her.  She had encountered many difficulties such as higher investment in labor, plant diseases and pests. Lian keeps a diary detailing what's happening in the field daily and hopes to rely on her own exploration, summarize her experience, and popularize eco-planting.

“What impressed me the most is the time when I was anxious about my paddy got pests and ill, World Vision staff and experts from Agricultural Bureau came and offered on-site guidance”, Lian said gratefully. With her passion and persistence, Lian not only got support from World Vision and local governments, but also inspired lots of villagers.

Villagers who used to be lack of confidence in ecological planting now appreciate the good taste of ecological rice.  In order to plant healthy food, women in the village started to follow Lian's lead and joined in the ecological planting trial. The increasing in number of fellows encouraged Lian to persist her path on ecological planting. “For children's health, for better environment, we should walk together.” Lian was more determined of her initiative.

In the flower blossom Poyang lake, Lian does not stay for the beautiful scenery or take photos. Instead, she is busy preparing for ecological planting, expanding the planting area, organizing community key members to learn composting technology and promoting ecological planting in the community.

Wish Lian a good harvest in the future. Hope daring women who are not afraid of difficulties can all find happiness and growth in their own horizons.

(Written by Chen Chuyu)